The Struggle To Become A Man
by speed killz
Summary: InuYasha loves Kagome, and turns to Sango to learn how to protect her.Great story, please read.
1. Chapter 1

The Struggle to become a Man

Chapter 1.

A/N: There are some references to GunZ Online: The International Duel. Maiet is in full control there, I am just borrowing the move names, and am making up the descriptions as accurately as I can. (They better be accurate, I play the game.)

I do not own InuYasha, and there is the very large possibility that I never will.

InuYasha slammed his locker closed angrily, locking it. He turned away and walked down the hall, growling in anger. He had fallen asleep in Social again, and the teacher had given him a detention for it. InuYasha glanced at his watch and saw that it read 4:30. InuYasha turned left, and walked down the hallway leading to a set of doors that would give him the easiest path back to his house. He was supposed to meet Kagome at the theatre at three thirty. His mind was on his missed date, and he wasn't paying attention, so the sound took a moment to register. When it did though, he stopped and listened. He heard what sounded like slashing sounds, then the sound of metal upon metal. InuYasha guessed that the sound was coming from the East gym, so he walked back a few metres to a set of double doors that he had just passed. As he opened them, he was greeted by an amazing sight.

A girl was standing in the far end of the gym, but it was where she was standing that surprised InuYasha. She was standing on a roof support beam, almost two storeys high. InuYasha wondered briefly how she got up there, and wondered how she would get down. InuYasha was startled when she threw herself off the edge, leaning back as she did so. As she rotated backward, arms spread, eyes closed, she drew a magnificent katana from a sheath at her side. As she completed the backflip, she began a series of blade strikes that seemed totally random and pointless to InuYasha. He watched as the blade began to hum through the air, leaving a faint light blue pattern in its wake. As the girl swung the blade around her body, often making several hand position changes, the blue strike pattern began to resemble something akin to butterfly wings. InuYasha watched as the girls descent began to slow, until she touched the ground with a light tap, her dark brown hair fluttering around her, the shiny sword in her hand, reverse grip, so that the blade curved up over her shoulder. InuYasha leaned against the wall, entranced, as she walked over to scoreboard display box, usually used for basketball games. She set a thirty second time limit, before walking back to the centre of the gym, facing the opposite wall, her back to InuYasha. The girl turned around, stretching her arms, and spotted him, staring him in the eye. InuYasha got a good look at her for the first time, and he immediately knew who it was.

"Sango..." he said, but the buzzer had sounded and she had turned around, not seeing his mouth move, nor hearing him speak. The thirty seconds were ticking away as she ran toward the wall, jumping toward it from a metre away. She leaned back and placed her feet on the wall, pushing down. She took 6 steps up the wall before seeming to hover there for a second. Then she backflipped off the wall, stunning InuYasha with what she did next. She slashed downward with her sword, and seemed to be propelled into the wall, as if she had pushed off of something, yet there was only the air. As she came into the wall, she slashed her sword down on the wall, propelling herself upward. She placed her right foot on the wall, and kicked down and sideways, turning herself paralell to the wall. She began to spin the sword around her body, and the effect was again that she seemed to hover in the air. InuYasha gasped as she began to dash forward at an incredible rate of speed, without ever touching anything, it seemed, and all while performing that beautiful sword pattern. InuYasha watched as she placed her foot on the wall, and began to run on the wall. InuYasha started counting.

"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen..." Sango sideflipped off the wall, immediately dashing back into the wall to start the wall running process again. The buzzer sounded as her foot slipped off the wall and she plummeted down toward the ground. InuYasha started running, but he didn't think that he could make it in time to catch her. She righted herself in the air, and began to whirl her sword around her body, and her rapid descent toward the ground slowed immediately. As she touched down, she sheathed her blade. She walked over to a camera mounted on a table by the adjacent wall, and ejected the disc. InuYasha stopped her as she was about to leave by calling her name, wincing as it echoed throughout the gym.

"Yes?" She asked, stopping, but not turning around to look at him. InuYasha walked over to her, and stood in front of her.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" He asked, wanting to learn so bad. Sango glared at him, and shook her head.

"It's not something you just learn in a day or two, and you don't just learn it because it looks cool, or because you wanna show off to your friends." She said, pushing her way past him. InuYasha grabbed her arm, but she easily twisted out of it, reversing the lock and spinning him around so that she was holding InuYasha just under the elbow. She twisted a bit more, making InuYasha wince.

"Don't ever try that...ever again." She said, lifting up on his arm, making him stand up on his toes to relieve the pressure on his arm.

"Okay, I'm sorry." He said, not really knowing what had happened, for it took place so fast. She didn't let go, instead she applied more pressure, making InuYasha cry out.

For all his strength, InuYasha knew his arm was useless in the position it was in. He definitely didn't like hitting girls, plus she was a little faster than him, so he didn't even try to hit her with his other arm.

"Give me one good reason I should teach you anything." Sango demanded, not thinking that he would really think of a convincing one. She was shocked at his next choice of words.

"I wanna learn how to protect the one I love."

Sango dropped him, and spun him around, pushing him against the wall.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"Theres someone I love, and I want to be able to protect her." he said.

Sango backed up, and lowered her head, thinking about it.

_'Hmm... thats the whole reason I got into this type of self-defence and combat, to protect the one I love. No other answer would have been sufficient, not if he told me it was cool, not if he told me it was for fitness reasons, nothing. Many people have asked, but the only one to give me the right answer besides this kid was that other one.'  
_She raised her head and looked him in the eye.

"Fine." she announced. "Come here tomorrow after school, but only if your completely serious." She said, turning away to leave.

"So this is where you've been while I was waiting for you at the theatre, you bastard!"

InuYasha spun around to see Kagome marching up to him, her brown eyes full of anger. She was wearing a pair of tight blue jeans, and a black belly top with a V-neck and a red dragon that spiraled around her waist and up the shoulder. InuYasha glanced behind him to where Sango stood, a slight sheen of sweat on her neck. InuYasha turned back to Kagome, only to have her open hand slap across his cheek. InuYasha felt her ring cut into him, but didn't say anything about it, ignoring the pain.

"Well?" She asked, her hands on her hips.

"I was in detention, I just got out, and I was cutting through the gym so I could get to the theatre faster." InuYasha said. "Then I seen Sango-chan practising her sword skills."

"Sango-chan?!? Your calling her Sango-chan now?" Kagome raised her hand again to hit him, and something clicked in Sango.

_Sango's memory._

_The girl was lying on the ground, on a piece of cardboard, and Sango had almost gotten up enough courage to go down the alley and give the homeless girl a piece of her sandwich. She finally decided to do it, when she was pushed out of the way by three older men. _

_"Out of the way, child!" They said, and Sango fell onto her bum, her sandwich falling into the dirt. _

_"Hey!" She yelled. "You can't do that!" She said. One of the men turned to look at her, and she hid around the corner, her sandwich forgotten. she watched as the men approached the girl, laughing. _

_"Hey little girl!" They called. "Want some food?" One of them reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of candy, holding it out to the girl. "Want it?" They asked, mockingly. The little girl, unable to speak, merely nodded, only to have the candy yanked back harshly. "Too bad!" They said, laughing. The girl shrunk back down onto the ground, trying hopelessly to salvage what dignity she had left. _

_"We're just kidding ya, go on, take it." They said, holding it out once more to her, knowing she was too weak to reach up and take it.  
"Whats wrong? Can't take it? Too weak?" They jeered, and the girl merely nodded her tiny head. "Okay," They said, "We'll feed it to ya."_

_One of the men reached out with the piece of candy in his hand, and the girl opened her mouth. The man was a few inches from placing it in her tiny open mouth, when he dropped it. He swiftly brought his other hand around and smashed her across the side of the head, sending her flying across the alley, into a brick wall, where she hit it with a sick thud, before collapsing into a pile on the dirty ground. The men laughed, before walking down the alley, yelling back insults and calling her names. When Sango was sure that the men were gone, she ran forward and retrieved her sandwich, and inspecting it. She threw it back down in disgust as she saw the dirt and mud on the bread, and mixed with the peanut butter. She ran forward on her tiny bare feet, and dropped down next to the girl that she had watched get teased and hit. She gingerly raised the girl up off the ground, and put the poor girl's head in her lap. She gasped when she saw the blood pouring out of a large cut on the side of her head, and as the blood leaked all over her clothes. _

_"Are you all right?" Sango asked meekly, not understanding the damage that had been done. The girl made an apparent effort at speaking, but it was obvious that she could not. Sango pushed the girls hair out of her face, and thats when she glimpsed girls pointed ears. Sango then realized that she was in the presence of a demon, and remembered that her mother had always warned her not to go near people who didn't look normal. Sango swallowed hard, but stayed by the girls side, occaisionally yelling for help as the girl demon slipped in and out of consciousness. It was well after dark before the two were found, and Sango's mother, terrified when her daughter didn't come home for supper, had called the police. Now Sango's mother pushed her way through the police line, scooped up her child, before turning away. Sango awoke, as she was picked up, and immediately remembered the other girl. _

_"NO!!!! Mommy!!! The other girl needs help!! Mommy! Please help her! She's my friend, she needs help!" Sango's mother hurriedly ran back, picked up the other small girl, and ran out of the dark alley, back to the semi-lit street, escorted by a police man. _

Sango dashed forward and intercepted the hit, grabbing Kagome's arm. Kagome looked at Sango and glared at her. "Who the hell do you think you are to grab my arm?" She asked angrily.

"Who the hell do you think you are that you think it's all right to slap him around? Is it because he's a half demon? Makes you think that you've got the right to hit him, because you think he's less of a person than you? And you know damn well that he won't hit you back, because he is part dog, and they are one of the most loyal creatures ever." Sango said harshly. Kagome blinked, and took a step back.

"Thats not--" She said, only to be cut off by Sango.  
"Yeah, get the hell out of here before I have you charged with discrimination, you stupid bitch!"  
Kagome closed her mouth, and adverted her eyes as she turned and left the gym, not daring to look at InuYasha. Sango, breathing hard, stared at Kagome's back until she dissappeared around the corner.

InuYasha turned to look at her.  
"What was that about?" He asked. Sango shook her head. "I can't stand people like that, think they better than others."  
InuYasha didn't say anything.  
Sango walked to the corner of the gym, and retrieved her back pack, slipping the disc inside a protective case, then putting that into her back pack. She slung it over one shoulder, before heading out a set of doors, calling to InuYasha over her shoulder.

"Come on, now that I ruined your date, you can come hang out with me tonight."

InuYasha thought about it. He had nothing better to do, now that Kagome was angry at him.

"Okay, wait up!" He called, chasing after her. He caught up to her in the hallway, and followed her to her locker. Sango seemed down, staring at the floor as she walked, not saying anything. Sango's shoe squeaked as she turned a corner, and InuYasha's ear twitched. Sango caught the motion out of the corner of her eye, for she had been watching him, and she couldn't help but smile. InuYasha looked at her, unaware as to what had just happened.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing...?" Sango realized that she didn't even know the name of the boy walking next to her.  
InuYasha caught the unasked question, and grinned.

"My names InuYasha, and I'm 18." He said.

Sango grinned back. "Sango, 17." She said, holding out her hand. InuYasha took it, and shook it. Sango turned, and stopped at her locker, quickly entering her locker combination. She opened it, and threw her backpack into it, taking out another one, and slinging it over her shoulder. She walked down the hall toward the womens showers, and walked in, leaving InuYasha to wait outside the door. InuYasha leaned against the wall, as he heard Sango slide her clothes off, even through the closed door.

InuYasha growled in frustration and embarrassment as he heard every move she made.

_'This hearing of mine is really a pain sometimes...' _He thought, covering his ears. He held them closed for a few seconds, then heard the shower start up, and he let his doggy ears unfurl, for he could no longer hear anything besides the running water. InuYasha waited a few minutes before getting up, thinking that she would be a typical female and take a half hour in the shower. He walked to his own locker, and grabbed a change of clothes, wanting to get out of his clothes that followed the school dress code, and into some good comfortable clothes. He walked back to the male change room, right next to where Sango was showering, and walked in, not noticing that the shower had been turned off. He stripped off, and pulled on a pair of baggy dark green cargo pants and a tight black T-shirt with the Godsmack Logo on it. He slid a belt through the loops in his pants, and did it up just tight enough so that they wouldn't fall down over his hips. He clipped a pure gold chain around his neck, and slid on one of his silver watches. He placed his wallet in his back right pocket, and slid his Razr cell phone into his front pocket. He attached a silver chain from his pants to his wallet, and lastly, placed a black hat over his ears, the hat reversed so that the curved beak faced backward. He placed both hands on the hat, and slowly slid it downward until it covered his eyebrows, sharpening the look of his eyes. He grabbed a can of Tag from his back pack and sprayed some on his chest before throwing it into his back pack with the rest of his stuff. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black wrist band, which he slid over his left wrist. It had the words 'Realest Killaz' stitched into it, and a friend of his had given it to him a long time ago. He gathered up all the stuff he had taken off, threw it into his back pack, and zipped it up. As he left the change room he glanced at his reflection in the mirror and grinned. he pulled open the door--

--and walked straight into Sango. She smiled at him, and continued to comb her wet hair.  
"Took ya long enough, I was starting to think you had gotten lost, I was about to come in after you." She said, smirking. She shook her head, and water droplets flew off her hair, splattering InuYasha. He grinned and wiped a droplet off his cheek, and pushed her playfully out of the way.  
"Come on, lets roll!" InuYasha said. He glanced at her, and stopped, stunned.  
Sango was wearing a black V-necked shirt that stopped about an inch above her belly button, and a pair black pants that had multiple chains hanging off them. The pants had a blood red stripe going down each side of the leg, and Sango wore them low. She had an elongated wrist band on her left wrist that went all the way up to her elbow, and a tiny one centimetre wide stip of leather around her right wrist. She had put her hair up into a pony tail, but had deliberately left a few strands out on either side of her face, framing it and giving her that innocent-yet-sexy look. As she walked ahead of InuYasha, he could see a tattoo of a butterfly on her lower back. InuYasha's eyes widened as he spotted it, for it wasn't just any butterfly. The butterfly was pure red, and had small blue trails coming off the wingtips, suggesting the pattern of the wings movement. InuYasha couldn't help but glance closer, and he noticed that a well detailed curved katana had also been tattooed on her body, its blade peircing the middle of the butterfly. Suddenly, he was staring at her hips, and Sango's voice reached his ears.  
"Seen something you liked?" She asked. InuYasha winced and slowly raised his head, guiltily, knowing he had been caught staring. Sango had turned around, and saw him checking her out. InuYasha looked at her face, and was surprised to see she was smiling.

"It's just a tattoo, InuYasha. I wouldn't have gotten it if I didn't want people to look at it. Go ahead, take a closer look, if you want." Sango said, turning around. InuYasha blushed, but took the opportunity, moving closer and staring at the strange tattoo. He could see the letter A, and the tops of some other letters, but they were positioned under the butterfly, and covered by her pants. InuYasha cleared his throat, and announced softly that it was a nice tattoo. Sango grinned, and thanked him.

She fell into step beside him, and they walked for a few minutes, heading toward the front door. Suddenly Sango grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it, revealing InuYasha's well toned chest.  
"You got any tats that I should know about?" She said, laughing. InuYasha yelped and pulled his shirt down, blushing again. Sango grinned as she stopped at her locker one last time. She threw her back pack in, and motioned for InuYasha to do the same. He did, and she locked it up, spinning the dial before turning away. She grabbed InuYasha's hand, and led him away, toward the front of the school. She led him outside, where they stopped to let their eyes adjust to the harsh sunlight.

"So where are we going?" InuYasha asked, noticing that she was still holding his hand.

"To meet up with my lover." She replied. InuYasha slowed. "Wouldn't I just be a fifth wheel, then?" He asked, nervously. Sango smiled, and pulled him along.

"Naw, I promise, you won't. We won't be making out and stuff, leaving you to feel uncomfortable. We promise to include you in _everything _we do." She said slyly.

A/N ...Yeah. I know who Sangos date is, do you??  
For all you GunZ Online: The International Duel fans out there, this is for you. I love that game, and a shout out to players -Albel-Nox-, and Kirousachi, may your feet never touch the ground as long as you can Butterfly.


	2. chapter 2

TSTBAM

Kagome laid down on her bed, and stared at the ceiling. she thought about InuYasha and how she had over reacted, and she silently wished she could go back and tell him she was sorry. She rolled over, and grabbed his picture off her nightstand, staring at it, wishing she was with him right now, instead of that girl. The picture showed happier days, depicting InuYasha with his arm around her waist. They had gone to the beach that day, and InuYasha had asked a passer-by to take a picture for him. The man agreed, had taken the picture, and wished them a good day before continuing on.

She sighed, before getting up and walking over to her desk. She pushed her math book off the desk, and sat down. She grabbed a brush, and started to comb her hair, running the brush through it until it was smooth and shiny. She grinned weakly at her reflection before glancing at her watch. It was almost ten at night. She put on a sweater over her red t shirt, and stood up, wiping some lint off her jeans. She walked out of her room and down the stairs, yelling to her mom that she was going out.

"Be back in half an hour!" She replied. Kagome sighed again. "I'm just going to InuYasha's house!" She said, before running out the door.

She walked down the dark street, enjoying the warm breeze that was blowing. She had second thoughts, and took her sweater off, wrapping it around her waist instead. She got to the corner, and waited until the cars had stopped before jogging across the street. A few punks in an old car whistled at her and yelled out dirty things to her before the light changed and they squealed away. She ran down the street, and turned up the walkway to InuYasha's house. Kagome knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, InuYasha's mom came to the door.

"Hi Kagome!" She said. Kagome smiled. "Hi!" She replied. "I'm looking for InuYasha, is he home yet?"

InuYasha's mom smiled. "No, not yet dear, sorry." Kagome grinned, feeling all but happy inside. "Okay, thanks!" She said, before turning around and running down the walkway. She got halfway down the walkway when she heard InuYasha's voice and heard someone giggling. She ducked behind a tree that was in InuYasha's yard, and prayed that she wouldn't get caught. She gasped as InuYasha and Sango and another girl walked around the corner, and up InuYasha's walkway, right by her without noticing her.

InuYasha grinned. "Okay." He said. "I'll go with you." He walked with her down the street, and groaned as they turned in at the same movie theatre that he was supposed to meet Kagome at. They walked inside, and Sango was immediately set upon by a blur of red. InuYasha watched in surprise as Sango was knocked to the ground, another girl on top of her. Sango laughed, and got up, hauling the other girl up with her. Immediately the red headed girl put her arm around Sango's waist, holding her close. Sango turned to InuYasha and smiled.

"InuYasha, this is Ayame. Ayame, meet InuYasha, one of my newest friends."

InuYasha held his hand out toward her, and she took it. InuYasha raised her hand to her lips and kissed it.

"Please to meet you." He said politely, letting go of her hand. Ayame blushed and hid behind Sango, peeking at InuYasha over Sango's shoulder, arm tight around her waist. Ayame had her hair up in two pony-tails, and had put a flower in her hair. She was wearing a red T-shirt that had been cut off a few inches above her belly button, exposing her belly ring. He pants were black, with a long silver chain hanging off each side, connected to the bottom of each leg with a shiny clasp. The pants were low around her hips, and she wore no belt. She wore a pair of Circa's with no laces, and white ankle socks. The last item on her was a black choker, tight around her throat. It had a golden chain about 8 inches in length hanging off of it.

Sango led them over to the ticket booth, and three tickets for the movie Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. As they went inside the dark theatre room, InuYasha tapped Sango on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Where's your date?" InuYasha asked. Sango grinned. "Oh, InuYasha, haven't you figured it out?"

"Figured what out?" InuYasha asked, sitting down. Sango put her arm around Ayame's shoulders.

"Ayame is my lover, InuYasha." She said, before leaning in and kissing Ayame on the lips. InuYasha's eyes widened, and he felt his face heat up as he watched the lovers share a kiss. As they parted, Sango reached up to InuYasha's head and removed his hat. InuYasha gasped, and shrunk down in his seat, covering his ears with his clawed hands.

"What are you doing, InuYasha?" She asked, puzzled. InuYasha shook his head.

"Not a lot of people like half-demons like me, Sango. I use the hat to cover up my freak ears." He said, and Sango saw the pain in his eyes. "Can I please have my hat back, Sango?" He asked, pleadingly. Sango sighed, and plopped it back onto his head.

"Okay, but just so you know, your half-demon attributes make you pretty--"  
"Hey!! Shut up and watch the movie!!" Someone yelled.

Ayame growled softly and put her arm around Sango as she blushed, falling silent. InuYasha watched the movie, wondering what she was going to say. After about ten minutes of thinking, he decided that maybe taking his hat off wouldn't be such a bad idea. Slowly, he reached up and slid his hat off, dropping it onto his lap. Sango, who had been watching him out of the corner of her eye, smiled when she saw his fluffy white ears revealed, but said nothing, pretending not to notice.

InuYasha, Sango, and Ayame walked out of the theatre into the cool, dark night, the latter two holding hands. They stood in the parking lot, talking. A few minutes later, a cool wind came up, making Ayame shiver. InuYasha, seeming to have taken to the apparently mute demon, shrugged off his T-shirt, and held it out to her. Ayame shrunk back as InuYasha loomed toward her, clinging to Sango. Sango reassured her, and Ayame tentatively leaned forward. InuYasha pulled the shirt down over her head gently, making sure her arms went into the sleeves. As InuYasha drew back, he grinned at her. Ayame blushed heavily, and put her hands up in front of her face, covering her mouth and nose. She stared wide eyed at InuYasha for a minute, leaning against Sango. InuYasha almost laughed.

The shirt, a few sizes too big for her, hung down to her knees. Ayame, cozy in the warmth of the T-shirt, began sniffing it. They continued walking, and Ayame began to associate InuYasha's natural body scent with kindness and caring.

'Friend.' She thought, blushing as she glanced sideways at him, glimpsing his naked well toned chest.

Sango saw Ayame staring at the shirtless half demon, and breathed a silent sigh of relief. Ayame didn't usually take to any of her friends, so it was nice to see them getting along. She smiled as she looked at InuYasha.

'He's hard not to like...' She thought. Ayame, still holding onto Sango's hand, blushed as InuYasha turned to her and grinned.

"Do you remember my name?" He asked her. In response, Ayame lifted the collar of the muscle shirt she wore to her nose, and inhaled deeply. She then leaned over and put her face in the crook of his neck, and breathed in his scent. As she withdrew, wide-eyed and red faced, she continued to stare at him. Sango laughed again.

"I'm starting to get jealous, InuYasha, I think she likes you better than me." She said, jokingly. Ayame shook her head, her red pigtails lashing out around her, and clung to Sango's arm. She then stared at the ground, afraid she had offended InuYasha. InuYasha, knowing what she was thinking, put his arm around her shoulders for a second, and Ayame froze. When she figured out that he meant no harm, she relaxed, snuggling up against him, purring.

InuYasha, Sango, and Ayame walked up his driveway, laughing. InuYasha stopped on his doorstep, and turned around.

"Hey, thanks for the great time, I enjoyed it. We should hang out again some time, ya know?" Sango put her arm around Ayame's waist, and nodded.

"Yeah, it was definitely an interesting evening." She said. She looked at Ayame, and saw that she was looking around off to her left, preoccupied with something. Sango leaned in close and put her mouth by InuYasha's ear.

_"Thanks for being so good with Ayame, she doesn't really get along with too many people, if ya know what I mean."_

InuYasha nodded. "No problem." He said, wondering what the story was behind the mute girl. He exchanged numbers with Sango, before dropping his hat onto Ayame's head. She smiled as the oversized hat fell over her eyes, and she pushed it back up. Sango glanced at InuYasha, and smiled. As they turned away, Ayame suddenly turned back and hugged InuYasha, kissing him on the cheek.

They turned away, and continued walking down the driveway. As Sango looked up, she saw Kagome standing in the shadows, her back against the tree. What she didn't see was the tears running down her face. As their eyes met, Sango's empty of emotion, Kagome's full of hurt and confusion, Kagome froze.

'What if they think I was spying on them...?' She thought.

Sango didn't stop, she merely continued down the sidewalk, into the night, holding Ayame's hand.

Kagome walked up the walkway, slowly, stopping in front of the door. She raised her hand, hesitated, then knocked loudly on the door.

InuYasha dropped down onto his bed, picking up his phone. He speed dialed Kagome's number, and let it ring. A few seconds later, Kagome's mother picked up.

"Hi Mrs. Higurashi, is Kagome there?" He asked.

"Oh, hi InuYasha! No, sorry, Kagome left about half an hour ago, said she was going to your house." She said. InuYasha froze, thinking that maybe she had seen him with the girls and had decided not to see him after all.

"Okay, thanks, umm, got to go, see ya." He said, hanging up. He jumped off his bed, and ran down the stairs, jumping the last five. He landed in a crouch before getting up and running for the door. Just as his hand grabbed the handle, a knock from the other side startled him. He whipped open the door, at the same time he heard the knock, and came face to face with Kagome. He stared at her, and she stared at him, her hand to her chest. A second later, she looked down at her feet, and mumbled something.

"What?" InuYasha asked softly, grabbing her hand and pulling her gently into the house. "I'm sorry." She said, louder. InuYasha stopped.

"Hey, no, I'm sorry for not calling you, and messing up, ruining our date, and talking to that girl." He said.

Kagome looked up at him. "How do you feel about her?" She asked. "I saw you hug that other girl, and I just don't know what to think." She said, feeling the tears form in her eyes.

InuYasha led her to the couch and sat down, pulling her down beside him. He put his arm around her, and hugged her, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"Kagome, Sango is just a friend, I don't think you have to worry about me getting with her any time soon." He said smiling. "And that other girl, is Sango's lover. Sango doesn't think of me, or any guy, like that. And that girl that hugged me, Sango's lover, it's her way of thanking me, because I let her use my shirt. It was cold out tonight." He said.

"But why did she hug you?" Kagome asked. InuYasha grinned, glad that Kagome would get jealous over him, meaning she actually liked him, before turning serious.

"That girl, I don't know whats wrong with her, but I don't think she's all there, if you know what I mean." He said. "I gotta talk to Sango about her. I Don't think she said a single word the whole time I've been around her, just growls."


	3. End of Chapter 2

The Struggle.

Kagome nodded. "Okay, I'll trust you for now." She said. She looked at him, and waited.

"Are you sure there's nothing between you guys?" She asked. InuYasha laughed again.

"Yeah, I told you. Sango has a lover, and thinks of me only as a friend, and Ayame-thats the girl- is sorta weird. All we did tonight was hang out at the theatre, and talk." InuYasha smiled, and Kagome broke. "Okay, okay, I get it." She said, laughing. She hugged him, and yelped as he pushed her down on the couch.

"You should stay the night, eh?" He said, kissing her throat. Kagome giggled.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She said softly. InuYasha purred, and nipped her neck.

"Yeah," He said, "I would."

A/N Okay, thats the rest of chapter 2. I dont know why the chapter loaded without the last part...but whatever. Here it is. Chapter 3 might take a while cuz my parents have gotten this idea into their heads that I should only be on the computer for an hour each night, and they take the computer with them wherever they go. Im gonna kill the fool that gave them the idea that this is the healthiest idea, its driving me crazy, i cant get anywhere with my Chapters.


	4. Chapter 3 Lemon

The Struggle Chapter 3.

InuYasha groaned, and dropped down. Sweat rolled down his forehead, and he felt his body quivering.

"Come on, InuYasha! Faster!" Sango cried. InuYasha pushed up, groaning loudly. He stared into Sango's eyes, and saw the sparkle there. She was really enjoying it, he saw. He dropped down again, and felt his muscles burning. He gritted his teeth as he felt himself nearing his limit, and squeezed his eyes closed as Sango encouraged him onward.

"Oh, InuYasha, just one more!"

InuYasha, in the push-up position on the floor, completed the 200th push up, and dropped onto the floor, breathing heavily. Sango, grinning wildly, kept on going, her breathing easy and level. She completed 50 more, before jumping up and laughing at the still prone InuYasha.

"Get up ya lazy fool!" She said, grabbing his hand and hauling him up. InuYasha groaned, and wondered how the hell she managed to do it all. Already Sango was doing laps around the gym. He started running, knowing that he couldn't afford to get too far behind, or he would be here all night finishing his exercise. He pushed himself harder, already a lap behind Sango.

His chest hurt like mad, and Sango was slowly overtaking him. He put on a burst of speed and rounded the fourth corner of the gym, gasping for breath. He had been doing Sango's exercises for almost 3 and a half hours now, and he couldn't take it anymore. He dropped to his knees, and stayed there, catching his breath. Almost every muscle in his body hurt, and he was exhausted. He looked up at Sango as she jogged to a stop in front of him, and she put her foot on his shoulder, pushing him down onto his back.

"Wow, InuYasha, you really suck." She said bluntly, laughing. InuYasha sighed, and looked up at her. She took her foot off him, and helped him up.

"Are we taking a break?" InuYasha asked hopefully. Sango looked at him, an expression of pity on her face.

"Nope, heading for the weight room, to work out for an hour."

"Awww..."

InuYasha walked through the door, and walked up the stairs into his room slowly, his energy spent. He flopped down onto the bed, sighing. He looked at the clock. It was 4:30. He reached over and set the alarm for 6:00, and turned over, falling asleep.

Kagome jumped onto her bed, and picked up her phone. InuYasha wasn't in science class, so she wondered in he had stayed home or something. She dialed the number for InuYasha's house, and waited. A second later, InuYasha's mother picked up. The television was clearly audible in the background.

"Hello?" InuYasha's mother asked.

"Hi," Kagome said. "It's me, Kagome. Is InuYasha home?" She asked.

InuYasha's mother turned the TV off.

"He's sleeping right now, want me to wake him?"

Kagome thought about it for a second. "Naw, just tell him I called when he gets up please." She said.

"Okay, see you, Kagome."

"Bye." Kagome hung up, and dropped her phone on the nightstand by her bed. She sighed, and stared at the ceiling. She grinned suddenly as she remembered last night.

Around 10:00 that night

Sango put the blowdryer down, and picked up the comb. She ran it through her hair, walking into her room. She picked up the sword off her bed, and sheathed it, putting it on the rack on the wall. She sat on her bed, wincing as she pulled her hair trying to get a tangle out. She turned to the other side of the bed, and pulled her laptop toward her. She opened it, and signed in to her msn.

RealestKilla : Online

HentaiRulez : Online

Sango grinned and clicked on the RealestKilla name, glad InuYasha was online.

'Hey' She typed.

'My body hurtz' was the reply. She laughed.

'Whtz up?' She asked.

'just chillin' was the quick reply.

'we should hang together 2morrow, cuz it saturday' She typed.

'shure, gimme ur # ill call ya...g2g cya'

She grinned.

'cya'

She waited until he was offline, before E-mailing him. She gave him her number, and asked if he could get a couple of his friends together.

She talked to the other guy for awhile, before yawning. She told him she was tired, and would see him later. She closed the laptop and shoved it under her bed, laying down. As she did so, a knock sounded at her door. She sighed, and got up, going down stairs and opening the door. Standing there was Ayame. Sango grinned and pulled her inside, hugging her.

"Good timing, babe, my parents aren't home." She said, leading her up to her room. She dropped onto her bed, pulling Ayame down on top of her. Ayame smiled, and kissed Sango on the lips, gently. Sango closed her eyes, and opened her mouth. Ayame took the hint, sliding her tongue deep inside Sango's mouth. Sango moaned, and returned the kiss feverably, running her hands down Ayame's back.

InuYasha finished his late supper, and threw his bowl in the sink with a loud clang. His alarm hadn't been loud enough to wake him up, and he had woken up at 8 instead of 6. He was glad that his mother worked nights. He ran up the stairs to his room and picked up his cell. He dialed Kagome's number, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally the phone was picked up, and Kagome answered breathlessly.

"Hello?" She asked. InuYasha silently wondered what she was doing that made her out of breath.

"Hey, it's me." He said.

"Hey InuYasha!!!" She said. "You should come over, have a little party and stuff." She said suggestively. InuYasha closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

"Um, maybe, I don't really feel too hot right now. I'll think about it." He said.

"Okay." Kagome said.

Kagome walked over to her CD player, and turned the music back up a bit. She had been dancing to the music, and didn't hear the phone ringing. She walked over to the giant mirror that hung on one of her walls, and held the phone against her shoulder as she talked, combing her hair.

InuYasha hung up, and wondered if he would regret telling Kagome that he didn't feel like coming over. He just didn't feel like he had the energy for it. He grabbed the remote control to his 5 disc CD changer and turned it on. He changed it to a diferent CD, and hit play. As the sounds of Lil Jon filled his room, he ran downstairs and opened the fridge. He grabbed a Rockstar from the fridge, and opened it. He walked back to his room, and twisted the knob on his stereo to the right.

He dropped onto his bed, and pulled his laptop toward him. He waited until it booted, before signing in, appearing offline.

Sango was offline, so he signed out.

He picked up his phone and dialed her number, having gotten her e-mail. He waited a few seconds, and was about to hang up when Sango answered.

"Hey!" InuYasha said, taking a sip of his drink. He heard Sango whispering to someone. A second later, he heard some shufling sounds.

"Hey, InuYasha, hows your body?" She asked.

InuYasha smirked. "Sorry, I'm in a relationship, babe." He said.

Sango laughed. "You know what I meant." She said. InuYasha smirked.

"Ain't got a clue what you're talking about." He replied.

"Arg! Whatever!" She said giggling. "What didja call for?" She asked.

"Dunno, just making sure ya gave me the right number." He said.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked.

"Well, it's you we're talking about, you never know."

"Hey, shut up!" She said, motioning for Ayame to come to her. Ayame leaned against the head-board next to Sango and leaned against her, Sango putting her arm around her shoulder. Ayame put her head on Sango's chest, and started purring as Sango rubbed her arm.

InuYasha laughed as a purring sound emanated from his phone.

"What are ya doing over there?" He asked.

"Ya really wanna know?" Sango asked.

InuYasha, not catching on until it was too late, asked what she meant.

"I just finished getting intimate with Ayame." She said.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Then I guess this wouldn"t be a good time to ask you if you wanted to come with me to Kagome's house." InuYasha said.

Sango looked at Ayame, who was hearing the entire conversation, who nodded.

"Well, Ayame doesn't have any problems with it, so yeah, sure." She said.à

InuYasha smiled. "Great! Come to my house and we'll go over." He said.

"Alright, see ya soon." She said, hanging up.

InuYasha clicked 'End' before quickly dialing Kagome's number. As soon as she picked up, he said, "I"ll be over in about ten minutes and I'm bringing some friends. Love ya." He hung up before she had a chance to respond, and dialed his friends number.

"Hey, Miroku, get to my house ASAP. Party, man, and bring girls!" He hung up, and ran into the bathroom, downing his drink and slamming the empty glass down on the sink. He jumped into the shower, and washed himself up.

Sango knocked on InuYasha's door, and waited. A second later the door opened, revealing InuYasha dressed in a pair of blue baggy jeans that were low around his hips, hanging down and covering most of his white shoes. His shirt was a red jersey, and it too was huge on him. He had his black hat on, flat bill as always, and had it turned slightly sideways. Not all the way, but just enough to give him the appearance of a drug dealer. He had on a set of dog tags, and a gold chain.

"Whoa, whats with the wangsta get-up?" Sango asked, noting that he didn't look half bad in it.

"Oh, I'm sorry, perhaps I didn't make myself clear. This ain't no tux event, this a PARTY!!!" He said, laughing.

Sango was wearing a tight black cut off shirt with a V-neck, and a tight pair of blue jeans. She had put pink eyeliner on, and a bit of red lipstick. Ayame was dressed in a pair of black cargo pants, with a red camo pattern, opting out for a size too large, like InuYasha, and a tight black tank top, stopping inches above her belly button. The pants were low around her sexy hips, revealing a red thong.

InuYasha invited them in, and told them that he was waiting for a few more people. He got them some drinks, and had just sat down when he heard yelling outside his door.

"Come on mang, lemme in fool! Let's get this party crackin!!"

InuYasha opened the door, and a boy was standing there. As he came in, he spotted Sango sitting on the couch. He ran over to her, and she stood up, hugging him.

"Hey Miroku!!" She said.

"Hey pretty girl!" He said, letting go of her.

"Wait, Miroku, you know Sango?" InuYasha asked.

"'Course, fool. I'm aquainted with all the pretty girls around here." He said.

"Then how come, in all our 10 years of friendship, I never ever heard you mention her?"

Miroku smirked. "Probably because you weren't listening. Plus..." He looked at Sango, grinning evilly. "Plus I haven't scored with her yet!" He said, backing away.

Sango blushed, and pushed him away from her. "And ya never will, you pervert!"

Miroku straightened his purple shirt, and pulled up his pants. InuYasha noticed this, and smirked.

"Hey, I'm glad your into the style and all, and you look great in the pants, but watching you yank 'em up all the time will totally kill it. Ladies will hate ya. Wear a belt you moron." InuYasha said.

Miroku shrugged. "Hey, forgot to grab one, didn't want to be late to my best friends party."

"Didn't want to be late to see all the girls, you mean." InuYasha said, grabbing a spare one and throwing it to him.

"Meh. Same diff." He said, belting his pants up.

Suddenly the door opened, and three more people walked in.

"Bankotsu's here, the party is officially started!" The boy said, grinning.

"Please, don't flatter yourelf." Said a young girl, hitting him on the back of the head.

"Ow! Hey, watch it." He said, rubbing his head.

A second girl walked in, and the expression on her face told everyone that she wasn't sure that she should be there.

"H-hi." She said, standing close behind Bankotsu.

The first girl introduced herself to Sango and Ayame as Kagura, then stood by InuYasha.

"The shy girl is my younger sister, her name is Aeisha. She's just turned 16, so don't get too crazy with her."

Miroku grinned.

"Don't worry, I'll take real good care of her." He said, sliding over to stand beside her.

Kagura grabbed his ear and pulled him away.

"I was specifically talking about you, Miroku." She said. She turned to InuYasha, and before she could open her mouth InuYasha grinned.

"Don't worry about it, it'll be great. I'll keep an eye on her, but she's 16, she knows whats wrong and what's right."

"Okay." She said. "I'll trust you."

"Alright! Let's get to that party!" InuYasha said, moving toward the door.

"What? Thought the party was here!" Everyone said.

"Nope, friends house. Think I'd let you animals in and let ya trash my house? Not a chance!" He said, walking out.

They followed him down the street, all talking at once.

"Hope this friend of yours invites more girls over, InuYasha!" Miroku said. InuYasha laughed.

"Not likely. She doesn't know that I'm coming, much less all of you guys." Everyone laughed, and turned up the driveway after InuYasha.

He pounded on the door, and motioned for everyone to be quiet. There were a few giggles, then silence. Inside, they could hear the person moving toward the door. As soon as the door opened a crack, they all shoved their way into Kagome's house.

"PARTY!!!"

InuYasha grinned as everyone shoved by him, and he looked at a bewildered Kagome.

"Hi." He said. Kagome looked at everyone in her living room, and looked back at InuYasha.

"I thought you weren't feeling good, InuYasha." She said. InuYasha shrugged.

"I got better." He said simply. He put his arm around Kagome, and shut the door, leading her into the kitchen. Miroku was in there, snooping through the cupboards, and he grinned at Kagome.

"Hey Kagome! And if it matters at all, it's InuYasha's fault, we didn't know that the party was gonna be here till the last second." He said, grabbing a bag of chips and a 2 litre bottle of pop from the fridge, and backing out of the kitchen.

Kagome turned to InuYasha, and glared at him.

"You could have at least told me that you were bringing a lot of people over, I could have prepared!" She said. InuYasha grinned weakly.

"Sorry Kagome." He said.

Out in the living room, the widescreen TV was turned on, and the CD player was cranked. InuYasha sat on the counter and stared at Kagome as she peeked around the corner to see who had invaded her peaceful home.

"C'mere Kagome." He said quietly.

Kagome turned and saw him sitting on the counter.

She walked over.

"InuYasha! Get off the counter! Tha--" InuYasha grabbed her, and kissed her on the mouth, pulling her between his legs. Kagome moaned, and relaxed, returning the kiss. As they parted, Kagome smirked.

"You..." She said. "Are in big trouble when this is over..." She said, leaning up to him again, kissing him deeply.

"Punish me later, if you want, but for now..." He never finished his sentence, for Kagome had put a finger to his lips.

Miroku noticed that the girl, a year or two younger than the rest and unfamiliar with them, was sitting on the far couch alone, watching TV. Everyone else was on the floor in a big group, playing some game.

He excused himself, and walked over to the couch, sitting down beside her.

She promptly moved a few inches away.

Miroku sighed.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He said.

"Your the pervert my sister told me about." The girl said bluntly. Miroku laughed.

"Yeah but don't worry, I can control myself. I just wanted to know why your not having any fun?" He asked.

Aeisha looked at her feet.

"I don't really know anyone here besides my sister, and I don't feel comfortable doing the things they do." She said.

"Like what?" Miroku asked, puzzled.

"Well, for example, as soon as you came in here, you went straight for the fridge and helped yourself. I would never do that." She said.

Miroku nodded.

"Oh, I get it. Okay, tell you what. If you hang with me tonight-" The girl got wide eyed, and started to protest.

"Hear me out!" Miroku said.

"If you give me your friendly company tonight, I promise to assimilate you into the group so that you won't feel left out, and, I swear on our new friendship that I won't do anything perverted, or I'll tell InuYasha myself to hit me, okay?" Miroku asked.

The girl thought about it.

"Okay, seems fair." She said.

Miroku smiled. "Great!" He said, handing her a Pepsi that he had gotten from the fridge. She smiled at him, and took it.

Kagura broke out the cards with an evil grin.

"37 time winning streak, anyone wanna try breaking me? I'm guaranteed to go home with over a hundred bucks in my pocket by tomorrow." She said, dark red eyes flashing around the room.

Bankotsu grinned cockily.

"I raise to your challenge, starting with 20 bucks in the pot." He said, throwing the crumpled bill in the centre of the floor.

Kagura matched his bet, and dealt the cards.

"Blackjack, first to 21 wins, if you go over, your out." She said. InuYasha and Kagome came out, and got into it, each putting in 20 bucks. Just then, Miroku and Aeisha sat down, and Miroku saw the game.

"Deal me." He said, throwing in 40 bucks.

Aeisha blushed as she saw that Miroku had paid her first round, and figured that she had better do him justice. She was pretty good at blackjack anyway, so she wasn't worried.

"120 bucks up for grabs, this is getting intense, and we haven't even started yet!" Bankotsu exclaimed.

As the cards were dealt, Bankotsu grabbed his, and peered at them.

_'Hmm...an Ace, and a nine. Thats either a 20, or a ten, depending on if I want the ace to be a 1 or an 11.'_

Kagome stifled a sigh as she got a pair of threes.

A 4 and an 8 went to InuYasha, who had trouble adding them together.

Miroku was sitting with a Jack and a 2.

Aeisha grimaced as she looked at her cards. A Queen and a 7.

Kagura kept her face expressionless, and her thoughts were blank.

_' A 2 and a 5.'_

Bankotsu stayed, and set his cards down, shrugging off his black Choppers sweater. Kagura made a mental note to check with Bankotsu, and Hit. She drew a King.

Kagome Hit, drawing a 7.

InuYasha thought about it, before hitting. He grimaced as he drew a Queen. _'What do face cards equal again?' _

Miroku Hit, drawing a 7.

Aeisha stayed, not wanting to bust.

Bankotsu: 20.

Kagome: 13

InuYasha: Bust (22)

Miroku: 19

Aeisha: 17

Kagura: 17

Aeisha took an elastic band out of her pocket and pulled her waist length brown hair into a pony-tail, securing it with the elastic. She glanced around the circle of people, her blue eyes flashing in the light. Bankotsu straightened his white T-shirt, and smoothed out the wrinkles, better revealing the black dragon that was emblazoned on it. He grimaced as his pants rode up too high, and stood up, pulling them back down around his hips before retaking his seat.

"Any bets before the second round begins?" She asked. Bankotsu threw in a 10 dollar bill, forcing everyone who was still in the game to put one in also, or get out of the game. The money at stake was now 170 dollars, for InuYasha finally realized that he was bust, and threw in his cards.

"Damn!" He said, moving to peek over Kagome's shoulder.

Kagura looked at Bankotsu, who Stayed.

Kagome hit, drawing a 4.

Miroku Stayed, and Aeisha took a risk. She drew a three. She let out the breath she had been holding, silently thanking God that she didn't go bust.

Kagura drew a card, looking at the card for a second, before turning over all her cards, laughing.

She had drawn a 4, making her total count 21.

"Twenty one!" She said, raking in all the money, not hearing the moans and sighs of the other players as she pocketed the green bills.

"Goddammit!" Bankotsu cried. "I'd been holding that 20 forever!"

Kagome said nothing, knowing that it was just thirty dollars. She knew she wasn't very good at the game anyway, and there were far more interesting things to do right now. She turned and kissed InuYasha, falling back onto the floor. InuYasha crawled on top of her, and pinned her down, kissing her deeply, making her moan.

Aeisha followed Miroku to the couch, where he took out his wallet and counted his remaining cash.

"I-I'm sorry for losing your money, Miroku." She said softly. Miroku looked up.

"Wha? Naw, don't worry about it." He said.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really." Miroku said. "I always expect heavy losses when your sister's around, she's a killer gambler. She's got the instinct for it. That last game was relatively easy on us, compared to when she plays poker. Then she really amps up the cash flow."

Just then, Sango came out, holding a slightly sweaty Ayame by the hand.

"What did I miss?" She asked, ignoring the looks she was getting from Bankotsu and Aeisha.

"Nothing too much, just Kagura raping us at Blackjack--again. Nothing too much out of the ordinary." InuYasha said from his place on the floor, Kagome in his arms.

"Oh really?" Sango asked, grinning. She turned to Kagura. "Want to have a poker match?" She asked. "High stakes, winner takes all. Pride is everything in this one." Sango said.

Kagura sat up straight.

"Think you can take me, girl?" She sneered, shuffling the cards. "Bring it on, and don't get too attached to your cash, cause I'm gonna be taking it." They went over to the table, and Sango grabbed a set of poker chips from the cupboard. She divided everything in half, and threw the Dealer chip at Kagura.

"Bring it." Sango said, confidently. Kagura placed the 170 dollars in the middle of the table, and Sango matched the bet.

InuYasha and the gang pulled the two couches up on either side of the table, prepared to watch the epic battle. InuYasha sat down and pulled Kagome against his shoulder, watching the two girls move the chips back and forth across the table, neither giving nor gaining an inch.

A few seconds later, Ayame sat down on the other side of InuYasha and leaned against him, purring, though her eyes were on Sango. Kagome grimaced, and looked up at InuYasha, who shrugged. Bankotsu, Miroku, and Aeisha took up the other couch, discussing between themselves the possible outcomes for the winner.

As focus drifted off the match and onto other subjects, InuYasha's watch beeped, signalling that another hour had passed. he looked at his watch out of habit, and since it was on his left wrist, it required him to lift his left arm, bringing Ayame into a sort of hug. Ayame closed her eyes and purred, putting her hand on his chest, and InuYasha saw that it was 3:00 in the morning.

Bankotsu came back from the kitchen with more cans of pop just in time to hear the first "All in." of the game.

All eyes had turned to the match. Kagura had called the all in, with only half as much chips as Sango, and Sango grinned, seeing this as an expression of fear, and a chance at redemption. Sango agreed, counting out a little more than half her chips and pushing them to the centre of the table. She laid down her cards, and grinned.

"Pair of tens, what you got Kagura?"

Kagura licked her lips, before laying down her cards.  
"Three of a kind." She said shortly, her red eyes flicking to Sango's face for a second.

"Dammit!" Sango said, knowing that the late hours were getting to her. She rubbed her eyes, and focussed on the three kings across the table from her, and let it serve a reminder to think her moves out more clearly. Sango pushed her chips away, and sighed, picking up the cards, shuffling them.

"Better luck next time, babe." Kagura said, and Sango glared at her. Sango motioned to InuYasha, and he handed her his can of pop. She took a drink, and handed it back to him. She dealt the cards out, and concentrated on whittling down Kagura's stack of chips.

"Raise two." Sango said, throwing in two chips. She was flying on an empty hand, and prayed that the girl across from her couldn't see her bluff.

Apparently the late hour was affecting Kagura too, for she let it go.

"Fold." She said, missing the Flush that was in her hand and on the table. Sango sighed, and pulled all but two chips back to her side of the table. She threw the cards at Kagura, who tossed in two more chips, and shuffled the deck.

_'Just a bit more. Our decks are almost even, then I can slam her.'_ Sango thought.

InuYasha held his breath, wondering if she could do it. Kagome mumbled something, and InuYasha looked down at her. He smiled when he saw that she was fast asleep. On the other side of him, Ayame was nodding off too, her sparkly green eyes drooping closed slowly. She would jerk awake every five minutes or so, see that Sango was still right in front of her, and fall asleep again. InuYasha watched her wake up a few more times, before motioning to Bankotsu.

He was about to holler over when he saw the sleeping girls, and got up, walking over.

"Yeah man?" He asked.

"Hey Bank, can I borrow your sweater for awhile?" He asked. Bankotsu nodded. "Sure." He said, walking over and picking it up off the floor.

"Thanks." InuYasha said.

"No problem." Bankotsu said, returning to his seat.

InuYasha laid the sweater on Ayame, and put his arm around her, rubbing her arm through the sweater. He whispered Kagome's name a few times, and she woke up.

"You can lay down on my lap if you want." He said, his arm around her shoulder.

She nodded, and layed down, her head in his lap, instead of on his shoulder. She stretched out her legs, and fell asleep again. On his other side, Ayame finally settled down, and fell asleep for good.

"All in."

This time it was Sango. Kagura jumped, and sighed. She reviewed what she had in her hand, and nodded.

Sango waited until she had laid down her cards, before laying hers down. She gave nothing away by smiling, instead letting Kagura peer over to see what her cards were. She then looked back at her own cards, and swore.

"Damn!!!" She said, pushing all her chips to Sango. Sango grinned, and looked at her cards.

A pair of tens stared up at her, and she smirked.

"Gotcha." She said, picking up the money.

They both stood, and Sango moved toward her. Kagura warily took a step back.

Sango smiled.

"Chill out." She said, offering her hand. Kagura paused, before grinning and shaking Sango's hand. Kagura pulled Sango into a hug, and put her mouth by her ear.

"I like how you played, Sango. You were good. Real good." She whispered, letting go of her.

Sango nodded.

"Likewise." She said, before turning to find Ayame cuddling with InuYasha. She grinned, and tapped Ayame awake.

"Come on, Ayame." She whispered. "Lets go in Kagome's room, she said we could use it." She helped Ayame up, and was walking away, holding onto Ayame, when she heard a whisper behind her.

"Did she really say you two could use her room? I don't remember that." Sango stopped, and looked over her shoulder to where InuYasha was watching her with one eye open. She hesitated.

"Did you and Kagome want to go up there then? Cause we could take the couch if you wanted."

InuYasha smiled at her, and waved.

"Naw, get out of here, take the room, she won't mind. And could you hit the lights as you go?" He asked.

Sango nodded. and shut off the lights as she walked down the hallway.

A few seconds later, all was quiet as Kagura made herself comfortable on the floor next to Bankotsu, Miroku and Aeisha sharing the couch.

InuYasha groaned, and woke up, finding that Kagome had already awoke, and was gone. He looked at his watch. 11:43 AM.

He looked around, and saw Bankotsu and Kagura cuddling together on the floor, fast asleep. He remembered that Sango and Ayame had gone into Kagome's room, and sat up. He could smell bacon cooking in the kitchen, and knew that Kagome was making breakfast.

'Oh shit!' InuYasha jumped up. He told Kagura that he would watch her sister, and both her and Miroku were gone out of sight. He came around the table, and saw the other couch, which had been blocked out of view by the table. He stopped, and saw Miroku sleeping on one end of the couch, and Aeisha on the other end. InuYasha grinned, and threw a blanket over Aeisha.

'Maybe Miroku isn't as perverted as he would have everyone think.'

He padded into the kitchen on bare, silent feet, and saw Kagome, her back to him, standing in front of the stove. He hugged her from behind, making her jump.

"Oh! InuYasha..." She said, putting her hand over top his. InuYasha kissed her throat.

"Mmm, G'mornin sexy, how's the food coming along?" He asked, nibbling on her ear.

Kagome giggled. "Was going fine until you came along, now if you don't let me go, it's going to burn." She said. InuYasha let go of her, and she moved to the counter, picking up the spatula and coming back to the stove, flipping the eggs and bacon.

InuYasha kissed her again on the neck, and moved away.

"I'm going to check on the crew." He said. He walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. He climbed the stairs softly, skipping the third one, which creaked. He walked down the hall, and softly opened the door on his right.

He saw Ayame lying in bed, still sleeping, covered by just a sheet, her clothes on the floor. Sango was awake, standing beside Kagome's dresser, her back to him, also completely naked. InuYasha backed out quickly, shutting the door. He cursed as he shut it too hard, and the door made a soft 'thud' against the frame.

InuYasha quickly crept back down the hallway and was at the top of the stairs, when the door opened. Sango came out, spotting InuYasha.

"Hey." She said softly. InuYasha froze, before turning around. Sango was peeking around the door, her arm across her chest.

InuYasha held up his hands.

"I was just checking to see if you were up yet, that's all." InuYasha said. "I swear."

Sango chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, InuYasha. Chill out." Sango looked into the room. "Look," She said, turning back to InuYasha. "Wait here, we can go downstairs together."

InuYasha nodded, and sat down on the top of the stairs, wondering what Sango was all about. A few minutes later, Sango came out, wearing her clothes from yesterday. Ayame was right behind her, also in her same clothes. InuYasha blushed and couldn't help but stare as she walked by him, and down the stairs, her red thong clearly visible, her tight bum swaying from side to side.

InuYasha was tapped on the back of the head, and he looked up at Sango. She grinned down at him.

"Nice, eh?" InuYasha, not used to hearing a girl compliment another girls bum, merely nodded.

Just them, Sango slid the zipper down on her pants, and InuYasha jumped.

"What are you doing?" He asked, alarmed. Kagome was right downstairs, and could come up at any moment.

"Shush." Sango said, turning around. She slid her pants down slowly, and said, "Remember that tatoo you saw?"

InuYasha nodded, watching her tight jeans slide slowly down over her bum.

"Well, go ahead and inspect the rest of it, if you want." She said. InuYasha cleared his throat. He reached toward her slowly, hooking his fingers in her panties and sliding them dowm, revealing the tatoo. As before, InuYasha saw the butterfly with the light blue energy patterns coming off the wings, and then saw the katana peircing the butterfly. Below that, was the name 'Ayame', in a black font, outlined in light blue. InuYasha stared at it for a few seconds longer, before sliding her panties back up. Sango turned around, pulling her pants back up.

"See, that wasn't so bad, and you didn't get caught by Kagome. I don't know why you were even worried in the first place, InuYasha. It's not like you were doing anything wrong, or bad." She said, sitting on the step beside him.

"What do you mean? I just saw half your ass." InuYasha said.

"Oh really?" Sango asked in mock anger. "And I thought you were only interested in the tatoo." She said, laughing.

InuYasha blushed. "Well yeah, I was, but I couldn't help but notice that your..."

"I'm what, InuYasha?" Sango asked.

"Well, you got a nice ass, and your damn beautiful." He said.

Sango put her arm around his shoulder.

"I'll take that as a compliment from a friend, InuYasha." She said, leaning closer.

"No, as far as I'm concerned, you were only looking at a tatoo. Kagome should only get mad if something like this happened..." She said, leaning in and placing her lips on InuYasha's. InuYasha, caught by surprise, fell back against the wall, and Sango put her hands on his shoulders, pinning him there. She kissed him deeply, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, moaning softly. Eventually, InuYasha responded, kissing her back. A few seconds later, Sango pulled away.

She kept her hands on his shoulders, licking her lips.

"Good thing nothing happened, eh InuYasha?" She asked. "Kagome sure would be mad." She got up, walking down the stairs, leaving InuYasha more confused than ever.

InuYasha sat down on the couch, and ate his breakfast in silence, trying to figure out what Sango wanted, and what she was doing. Just then, Ayame sat down on the couch beside him, and InuYasha got embarrassed, wondering if Ayame could smell Sango's scent on him, or knew that she had kissed him. He ate his food in silence, not mad or angry, just confused.

A second later, Ayame moved a little closer to him, and InuYasha froze.

'What is it with these people?' He wondered. 'Damn, how do I show that I'm not mad or anything with her, I can't exactly start up a conversation, I don't even know if she can talk!'

Ayame laid out on the couch, and inched her way toward InuYasha on her belly, making him jump.

'What the hell? Submissive behavior? You only see that in wolves and other wild animals...' InuYasha thought, wondering what she wanted.

He sat perfectly still, waiting to see what she wanted. She crept closer and closer, until she stopped, her hand inches from his leg.

'The food!' InuYasha thought, seeing her eye his plate. InuYasha watched as she reached slowly toward his plate, picking up a piece of crispy bacon with a slender hand, and withdrawing quickly. She sat up, and crossed her legs, facing InuYasha. She stared at him intently as she took a bite out of the bacon, chewing it silently.

'Okay, that was weird...' He thought. He wondered if anyone had fed her anything, or if this was normal behaviour. For her, at least.

InuYasha picked up another piece, seeing that she had finished hers, and held it out to her, motioning for her to take it.

Instead of taking it with her hands, she leaned forward and took a bite out of it, chewing it softly. InuYasha supressed a laugh, and continued to hold it for her as she took bite after bite out of it. Finally, she skillfully took the last piece out of his fingers, her fangs barely grazing his skin. InuYasha lowered his hand, and watched her with fascination. No sooner had Ayame swallowed the last piece of bacon then she was after InuYasha again. She leaned forward, draping her whole upper body over him, and grabbed the hand that had handled the bacon. InuYasha watched, a small smile on his face as she began licking the flavor off his fingertips, her tongue swiping up his fingers in long slow strokes. InuYasha smirked as her soft pink tongue swirled around his fingers, her eyes closed, concentrating on the flavor of the bacon that she was getting off his fingers.

"Guess you like bacon a whole lot, eh?" He said softly as he watched her, not expecting a response.

Ayame stopped her licking, and looked InuYasha in the eye. Then she nodded. InuYasha blinked. 'Holy shit, did she just answer me?' He wondered.

Ayame, having licked InuYasha's fingers clean, dropped his hand, and curled up in his lap, her body laying on his, her head on his chest. She closed her eyes, and InuYasha stopped all movement, not wanting to disturb her. InuYasha looked down at her, and thought of her as akin to someone's cat. Wary of you, at first, but willing to take your food, and if you treated it right, and didn't scare it, it would even let you pet it, and it would feel secure enough to sleep in your lap.

InuYasha smirked as he thought of it, and decided to test out his theory. Very slowly, he moved his arm. He started stroking her, patting the top of her head, and going down her back. A few seconds later, Ayame started purring, and InuYasha kept up the slow petting.

He wondered when someone would come out of the kitchen and see that Ayame had fallen asleep on him, preferrably Sango, for Kagome might make a scene, and wake her up. Eventually too, his eyes started to droop, and he fell asleep, his breathing slowing.

Sango put her plate in the sink, and walked out into the living room, stopping as she saw InuYasha and Ayame sleeping together. She turned, and walked back into the kitchen, tapping Kagome on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Do you have a camera I could use for a second?" She asked, smiling.

"Sure," Kagome said, opening the cupboard on top of the fridge. "Why?" She asked, handing the camera to Sango.

Sango grinned. "Oh, I just wanted to take some pictures of your boyfriend." She said. Kagome, curious, followed Sango out to the living room, laughing when she saw what lay before her. InuYasha, sprawled all over the couch, fast asleep, with the mute demon girl laying on his lap, her head on his chest. The only thing that she didn't like was his hand, for it was low around her waist, and on the side, almost touching her bum. She couldn't know that InuYasha's hand was there as a result of when he fell asleep, he had stopped petting her. His hand had relaxed, and had fallen there.

Sango raised the camera, and took a few pictures. Ayame, slightly awakened by the flash, mewled, turning her head a bit. She ended up with her mouth and nose in the crook of InuYasha's neck, and she cuddled up to InuYasha, still asleep. InuYasha, also asleep, automatically moved his arm, sliding around her waist more, hugging her closer.

Sango giggled, and took a few more pictures, laughing.

"Oh my God, look at this kid." She said, putting the camera down on the table and walking over to the sleeping pair. She raised the corner on InuYasha's shirt, revealing his smooth skin and gently protruding hip bones.

"And just last night he was telling Miroku to pull up his pants." She said. She grabbed the camera and took a few more pictures, getting a close up of each of their faces. For Ayame, she just got the side of her face, the rest of it buried in InuYasha's neck.

"Should we wake them now?" Kagome asked. Sango shook her head.

"Naw, leave 'em. Ayame is okay, and InuYasha is going to need all the sleep he can get, because I'm going to be teaching him a few things today and tomorrow." She said. Kagome nodded.

"Okay." She said, taking the camera.

"Come on, Sango," She said, "Let's go print off these pictures." Sango nodded, taking one last look at the sleeping pair.

"Sure." She said, following Kagome upstairs.

InuYasha woke up, and blushed as he realized that his arm was around Ayame's body, just beneath her breasts. In fact, InuYasha realized, every time Ayame took a breath, her breasts would brush against his arm. Suddenly, Ayame mewled, and InuYasha realized that she was waking up. She sat up, and InuYasha let go of her. Ayame stood, and stretched, reaching her hands toward the ceiling, before bending over and touching her toes. InuYasha couldn't help but notice again that her bum was very nice, with a great, full look to it, at the same time not being too big, but just the right size. InuYasha stood, and yawned, stretching also, as Ayame moved over a few steps. He waited to see where Ayame would go, but she just stood there, staring at him. InuYasha shrugged, and started to walk toward the stairs, hearing voices from upstairs. Ayame followed right behind him, and as they passed Miroku, Aeisha, Bankotsu and Kagura, she whimpered. They all looked at her, and Ayame hid behind InuYasha, holding onto his hand. InuYasha continued up the stairs, and Ayame held his hand all the way up. InuYasha walked into the room, and Sango and Kagome looked up as he entered. Ayame let go of his hand, and walked over to Sango, hugging her.

"Hey, did you have a good sleep?" She asked. Ayame nodded.

"Was InuYasha nice to you?" She asked, and again, a nod. Sango looked at Kagome before asking the next question.

"He didn't touch you in any bad places, did he?" Ayame shook her head, and looked at Kagome, loosely understanding that InuYasha was to Kagome, as she was to Sango.

Sango looked at InuYasha, and shrugged.

"I trust you, InuYasha, I just asked that last question for the benefit of Kagome, she was kinda nervous with you two down there alone." Sango turned to Kagome.

"Don't worry about anything, Ayame doesn't understand the concept of 'lying', so everything she said was the absolute truth." Sango said. InuYasha sat down on the bed, and hugged Kagome.

"Alright, InuYasha. Ready for your first day of sword training?" Sango asked.

InuYasha nodded.

"Yeah, bring it on." He said, ready for whatever she threw at him.

"Okay, I've rented a few hours at the local gym, because the schools closed today." She said. "Let's get ready and go."

InuYasha nodded, and motioned to the bathroom.

"Do you want the shower first?" He asked.

Sango nodded. "Please." She said.

Sango and Ayame made InuYasha turn around, and they stripped off. They wrapped towels around their bodies, and asked Kagome where the washer was.

Kagome took their clothes, and told them that they would be clean by the time they got out of the shower. InuYasha waited until Ayame and Sango had dissappeared into the bathroom, before taking off his shirt.

"Can you wash mine too, Kagome?" He asked. Kagome nodded, and took his shirt. He took his pants off, and handed them to her too. She took it all down to the basement, and put them in the washer.

InuYasha, still upstairs, listened to the shower, just down the hall. He sat on the bed, only in his boxers now, and rubbed his stomach, feeling the abdominal muscles rippling under his fingers. While waiting, he absentmindedly picked up his white shoes, and inspected them.He found a few specks of dirt on them, and grabbed a cloth from the dresser top. He wiped them off, thinking back to the days he had met Kagome, and the first few days he had hung with her, and the nervousness of asking her out.

He reminisced for a while, not hearing the water stop, or the door down the hall open. He jumped as he felt the bed shake, and heard a voice.

"Get out for a minute, InuYasha." He turned, and jumped off the bed as he saw Sango there, wrapped in a towel. She was putting a few things on the bed, and was bent over, revealing a bit of cleavage. Ayame came in behind her, a towel wrapped around her waist, an arm over her chest. She saw InuYasha, and blushed, turning around. InuYasha got up and walked out, but not before noticing her slender figure. He shut the door behind him, and waited until Kagome brought the clothes up.

A few minutes later, Kagome came up the stairs with the dry, clean clothes, and InuYasha grabbed his. He headed for the shower, grabbing a towel and a facecloth from the hall closet on the way. He closed the door behind him, and started the shower, before stripping off his boxers and socks. He jumped in, and adjusted the water temperature, so that it was a bit hotter. He grabbed a bottle of Axe shower gel, and squeezed a bit onto his facecloth, before cleaning his face. He heard the bathroom door open, and he grinned. He heard a 'click', signifying the door being locked, then heard shuffling sounds as the person out there stripped off their clothes.

A second later, the curtain was pushed aside, and Kagome stepped into the shower, smiling at InuYasha. InuYasha pulled her close to him, hugging her. She kissed him, loving the hot water that poured down on them. She felt InuYasha's hands slide down her body, sliding over her wet skin and massaging her body. He felt himself getting aroused, and a second later Kagome grinned. She put her hands on either side of InuYasha's face, and kissed him, before sliding her hands down his chest, and over his stomach. She gripped his member, and squeezed gently, making him shudder. She began to slowly move her hand back and forth along his length, swirling her fingers over the tip of his length. InuYasha groaned, and tilted his head back. Kagome licked his neck, and kissed his collar bone, continuing her ministrations. InuYasha brought his hands up and began to play with her breasts, squeezing them and rolling her hard nipples between his fingertips. Kagome began breathing a little heavier, and used her free hand to slowly rub herself. InuYasha continued to pleasure her breasts, occaisionally dipping down to lick and suck on her nipples. Kagome moaned, and inserted a finger into herself, slowly moving in and out. InuYasha waited until she removed her finger, before pulling her closer. He positioned his length just outside her entrance, and began to slowly enter, making her gasp and groan with pleasure. InuYasha put his arms around her hips and pulled her onto him, thrusting deeper into her. Kagome moaned as InuYasha began to fill her up. InuYasha paused when he was fully in, then began to slowly pull himself out. Kagome moaned, and reached down between her legs, spreading her folds. InuYasha entered her again, slightly faster this time, and began to set a slow pace. He slid his hands up her body, and kissed her, playing with her nipples with his thumbs. Pretty soon, Kagome was screaming with pleasure as InuYasha thrust into her as fast as he could, and she did her best to hold back, but the friction of him going into her that fast made her break. She orgasmed, and InuYasha only increased his speed, making her moan and gasp. Finally, InuYasha orgasmed, and he slowed, holding Kagome in his arms.

They finished washing up, and got out, helping dry each other off. As they got dressed, InuYasha hugged Kagome.

"I love you, and don't ever forget it." He said, kissing her.

"Oh, I won't, you can be sure of that." She said, opening the door and walking to her room.

End Chapter 3.

It was teh long. XD please review.


	5. Chapter 4

The Struggle.

Sango threw the dull blade to him, and raised hers in front of her, diagonally across her chest.

"Let's dance!" She said, before dashing toward him. InuYasha, caught by surprise by her unusually speedy movements, barely got his sword up in time to defend against a downward strike. But after that, it was all downhill. InuYasha tried to follow her blade as it whizzed back around, and attacked him from the left. InuYasha went to block it, and Sango flicked the tip of her sword downward, bringing it under his block, and she reversed direction, catching him in the right side with the dull piece of metal. InuYasha gasped, and backed off, knowing that this was just a practise match, that Sango hadn't even started trying yet. Sango stood her ground and waited until InuYasha attacked, which he did. He rushed forward, and slashed downward with all his might, but Sango blocked his blade by holding hers horizontally above her head. She never used the two handed grip, instead resting the blade on the flat of her right palm as she held it in her left. As soon as InuYasha made contact with the blade, she swept her leg upward and caught him in the chest, throwing him backward. InuYasha hit the ground with a 'thud', and his blade clattered out of his hand. He groaned as Sango put her sword tip on his hand and applied a bit of pressure. Not enough to pierce the skin, but enough to hurt him a bit.

"You lose, InuYasha." She said smugly.

InuYasha got up, rubbing his chest.

"Okay, so you got skills, and you beat the hell outta me. What exactly does that teach me?" He asked. Sango grinned, and picked up his sword.

"Now I teach you two things." She said, handing his sword back to him. "How to block those moves, and how to perform them." She took up a stance in front of him, and showed him what he was doing wrong.

"First off, the way you hold your blade is all wrong. You have a two handed grip on it, and thats not good. You're not a samurai, or any other type of warrior, InuYasha. Hold your sword with one hand, preferably whatever one feels most comfortable to you. Then, hold it out in front of you, diagonally across your chest."

InuYasha took one hand off his sword, holding it in his right hand, the tip pointing toward his left shoulder, the handle toward his right foot.

"Good. Now, loosen your grip a tiny bit, so that in combat, your hand doesn't cramp, doesn't sweat, making your grip slippery, and for flexibility. You need to be able to rotate the blade around, and you need a supple wrist and a loose grip for it." She said, demonstrating by spinning her own sword around a few times.

"Now, the basic block is just what I did to you, InuYasha. Simply raise the blade up in front of you, and instead of trying to support the weight of the enemies blade with both hands on the handle, place your left hand on the blade, forming a perfect block." She said, swiftly flicking her blade up into the blocking position. InuYasha tried it a few times, gaining familiarity with the weight of the sword and the way to control the momentum as it swung through the air. Sango nodded, and InuYasha resumed the normal position, sword out in front of him.

"Next," She said, walking to his side. "When someone slashes down at you and you block it, swing your blade down and curve it to the right, and back up, slashing up across their body." She said, showing him how to do it.

"Theres also two kinds of upward slash." She said. "Since your holding it in your right hand, when you come out of a block and counter with the slash, your pinkie finger will be the finger toward the sky, while your thumb points down, and your wrist is facing outward. However, if you aren't blocking, you can slash upward normally, which is a bit easier, coming from your right side and going up and to the left, wrist facing in." She said, demonstrating. InuYasha tried them both a few times.

"Like that?" He asked, doing it.

She reached over and placed her hand on his.

"Slide your hand a little further back, it'll give you more wrist manoeverability." She said, indicating where his wrist hand should be. InuYasha nodded, and practised his swing.

Sango showed him the kick she had used on him, and showed him how to keep his weight centre, to avoid falling if someone were to sneak in a punch, or a kick of their own.

"Don't ever lean too far back, InuYasha." She said, "One gentle hit is all it will take to put you on your back."

InuYasha nodded again.

"Alright," He said. "I think I'm starting to get this."

Sango walked over, and stood in front of him, raising her sword. InuYasha, overconfident and feeling like he stood a chance, ran toward her, and instead of slashing downward, he slashed upward. Sango dashed to the left, and InuYasha grimaced, not even seeing her legs move. He turned and saw her a few metres away, grinning, waving her sword around. He ran toward her, and tried a variety of slashes, from all angles, but she either blocked all of them, or dodged them. InuYasha was getting frustrated, and Sango could see it.

"Alright, InuYasha. I'll end this."

'Like hell you will.' InuYasha thought, raising his sword to guard. Sango jumped into the air, and began dashing left and right, slashing her sword around like he had seen her do before. InuYasha watched her slowly make her way toward him, dashing side to side, occasionally throwing in a forward dash. Finally, she stopped, and landed, winking at InuYasha.

"Don't blink, InuYasha." She said, running toward the gym wall. She started running across it, horizontally, before sideflipping off. She was now above InuYasha's head, and she dashed forward, wasting no time with the side to side dashes. She was now behind him. InuYasha saw all this happen, and had just formed the thought of turning around when, he felt a pain in his back. She had kicked him in the back, and he yelped, flying forward and landing on his chest. Sango walked over, and sat on his back, before he could rise. She set her sword down. She leaned in close, her mouth by his ear.

"Don't worry, InuYasha." She whispered, putting her hands on his shoulders. "You'll get better. It's all a matter of training." She got up, and InuYasha rolled over, sitting up. His back was aching, and his pride hurt. He looked at her, and said nothing. She stared back at him, and waited.

"What?" InuYasha asked.

"Well, first off, you have to decide if you wanna quit now, or continue training." She said. InuYasha looked away from her and looked at the floor. He concentrated on the dull pain in his back, and figured that he owed it to himself to continue. To get stronger.

"Yeah, let's do it." InuYasha mumbled.

"What?" She asked, a sly smile on her face.

InuYasha raised his head, looking at her.

"I said, yeah, let's do it!" He said, a bit louder.

Sango smiled.

"That's more like it." She said, getting up. InuYasha ran over to his sword, which he had dropped again, and retrieved it. He walked back to Sango's side, and asked her what was next. Sango shook her head.

"Nothing, right now. At least, no physical training. You have to work on your mental capacity." She said. InuYasha blinked.

"What, you think I'm stupid, or something?" He asked, unsure of what she meant. Sango shook her head again.

"No, not intelligence, not as we usually think of mental capacity, but you gotta increase your mind's power." She said. "Or you will never learn how to dash."

"Hunh?" InuYasha said, for it was the first time he heard her mention that word.

Sango quickly threw herself to the right, and stopped, about 2 metres away.

"That's a dash." She explained, walking back over. "It's also purely mental power, but drains your bodys energy, as if it were a physical move. So you gotta exercise, get stronger, or you'll never be able to do it. Or any other move." She added. InuYasha nodded.

"And so how do I go about increasing my mental capacities?" He asked.

Sango laughed.

"Well, for starters, go home and rest up, relax. I'll email you some stuff, you'll be able to do it with out my help." She said. "In fact, you'll probably be grateful that I'm not there."

InuYasha wondered what she meant.

"Okay..." He said slowly. Sango nodded, and took the blade from InuYasha.

Alright, see you later." She said, starting to walk away.

"Wait!" InuYasha said. Sango stopped, and turned around.

"What?" She asked.

"Can I borrow one of the swords, to practise with?" He asked. Sango smiled at him.

"Sure, InuYasha." She said, throwing one at him. He caught it, and started walking away, heading for the gym door.

"See ya." He said, dissappearing out the door. He heard her answer him back, and then she was gone.


	6. To Dash

The Struggle.

InuYasha opened his e-mail inbox, and clicked on the message from Sango, shoving another chocolate chip cookie into his mouth. He read the file name, 'Mental Capacity Training', and knew that it was what he needed. He quickly scanned the rest of the file, and couldn't believe what it was asking him to do. He cursed Sango mildly, and shut his laptop, pushing it under his bed. He moved a few things around his room, clearing a big circle in which he could practise. He stood in the centre, and thought back to the e-mail. He took a deep breath, and bent his knees slightly, tensing all the muscles in his legs, throwing himself to the right. He yelped as he overbalanced, and fell on his face. Getting up, he rubbed his nose.

"Well, that definitely wasn't a dash." He said. "And I sure as hell ain't doing that all day." He immediately picked up his cell phone, and called Sango. She answered on the third ring.

"Hey Sango, that dash thing is--"  
"Lemme guess," She said. "You tried it once, landed on your ass, and now you want help." She said. InuYasha laughed. "Close." He said. "I landed on my face."

Sango giggled. "Okay, okay, let me get over there, it's obvious that you need help." She said. "But while I'm getting over there, don't just wait around for me, keep practising!" She said, hanging up.

InuYasha sighed, and threw his cell phone on the bed. He tried to remember why he was currently trying something that he would have thought impossible, if he had not seen it.

'Oh yeah, for Kagome.' He thought, gritting his teeth. He tensed up all the muscles in his legs, and once again, imagined himself dashing to the right. He sighed. It was no use. He tried to remember what Sango looked like when she did it. She was so smooth, and barely moved her legs, but she could go anywhere she wanted. He remembered that right before she dashed, she got an intense look in her eyes, and she bent her knees a bit. She didn't seem to jump at all, so that couldn't be what he was doing wrong. InuYasha closed his eyes, and pictured Kagome's face in his mind. He bent his knees slightly, and visualized himself sliding to the right, tensing up his leg muscles. When he felt no movement, he sighed, and opened up his eyes. He looked around, and noticed that something was wrong. Everything was out of place. He wondered if everything had been moved to the left while his eyes were closed or something. He looked down at his carpet, and saw that there were a set of foot prints in the carpet, just a few inches to the let of where he was standing. He watched them fade, as his mind realized that he had just pulled of a really tiny dash.

"Yeah!" He yelled, jumping into the air. "I so freakin' did it!" He exclaimed. "WOOT!!"

InuYasha's mother looked up at the ceiling as she heard repeated thumping sounds coming from upstairs, and she shook her head, smiling. She didn't know what was going on up there, but she knew that it was just him up there, all by himself. A knock at the door distracted her from her thoughts, and she walked to the front door. She opened it, and greeted the brown-haired girl that she now knew at Sango.

"Hi Sango." She said, inviting her in.

"Hi!" Sango said cheerily. "Is InuYasha around?" InuYasha's mother, Izayoi, nodded, and pointed up the stairs. "Just go right in, honey." She said. Sango nodded.

"Thanks." She said, running up the stairs.

Sango knocked on InuYasha's door, and walked in, only to be set upon by InuYasha.

"I did it!" He exclaimed, pointing at the floor. "I went from here-" He pointed at a spot on the floor. "--To here!" He moved his finger over a few inches. Sango's eyebrow went up, questioningly.

"Only that far?" She asked, destroying InuYasha's confidence and whole reason to celebrate. He nearly cried. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked. "That's very far, for not moving my legs!"

Sango laughed. "Are you sure you didn't just take a step over, or something?" She sked. InuYasha nodded.

"Yeah," He said, calming down. "I just concentrated really hard, and visualized myself sliding over, and when I opened my eyes, I was over a few inches." Sango nodded.

"What did you concentrate on?" She asked.

InuYasha looked away. "Kagome." He muttered.

Sango grinned. "Excellent!" She said.

InuYasha nodded, and then asked her how he could improve his distance.

"Well," Sango said. "Let's see your training methods." She said.

InuYasha was confused. "Huh?" He asked.

Sango shook her head. "Did you just skip the whole e-mail right down to the bottom, or something, InuYasha?" She asked. "I e-mailed you a set of steps to complete to improve your mental capacity."

InuYasha winced. "Yeah," He admitted. "I skipped all that."

Sango shook her head in despair. "You can't skip steps, InuYasha." She said.

InuYasha held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I didn't skip it because I wanted to, I skipped it because I don't understand it!" He said. "How am I supposed to increase my mental capacity, when I don't have a damn clue what mental capacity is?" He asked. Sango sat down on his bed, and motioned for him to join her.

"Alright!" She said. "I'll teach you from the beginning, although you should be able to learn this by yourself."

InuYasha glared at her.

"H'okay, mental capacity is the ability to take what you visualize in your mind, and transfer it to your body, with no effort on your body's part." She said. "A low level of mental capacity will give you a basic move, like your six inch dash." She said. "Still with me so far?" InuYasha nodded.

"Yeah, go on." He said.

"Now, you can visualize the most complicated series of moves anyone could imagine, but if you don't have the mental capacity, then they won't be performed." She said.

"Whereas, a dash takes a small bit of mental capacity, a chain of midair dashes and wallflips combined with various slashes and sword combos takes quite a bit more mental capacity." She said. InuYasha nodded.

"Okay," He said. "I got it. Mental capacity is the ability to take what I visualize, and turn it into actions." He said. Sango nodded. "Yup, thats it." She said.

"Okay, how do I go about increasing that?" He asked. Sango grinned.

"One of two ways." She said. "One, you can repeat your basic dash over and over again, basically excercising your mind like it's a muscle, straining it to achieve just a bigger dash each time," She said, and InuYasha nodded at that method. "Or you can do 'Mind Excersises.'" InuYasha laughed. "What the hell are those?" He asked.

Sango sighed.

"Basically, performing by memory." She said. "Everyday, you run the same dash, or manoever you want to perfect, over and over again in your head. Do that enough, and your mind will memorize it. Enough so, that when you go to perform the move, you perform it from memory, rather than from experience." She said. "I don't recommend that method, because it's hard to improve upon, because your ingraining a specific way to do something into your mind, and if you make mistakes, since you aren't testing it in battle, your just memorizing the moves, then all the mistakes come out in battle." She said. "Plus, if you ever want to add combo's to the move, then you gotta forget the whole thing, and relearn the move plus the attached combo." She said. "Not fun."

InuYasha nodded. "I see." He said. Sango nodded. "Yeah. So just keep practising, and you'll get better." She said, patting his knee. She got up, and was about to walk out the door, when InuYasha's voice stopped her.

"Hey Sango?"

She turned. "Yeah?" She asked.

"How long did it take you to do a dash?" He asked. Sango grinned, and walked back to him, bending down to whisper in his ear.

"Well, InuYasha." She whispered softly, stroking his neck. "It took me one try to do a dash, because I read the damn instruction manual that my trainer sent me." InuYasha grinned as she backed away.

"Okay, okay, I get it." He said. "No more shortcuts." Sango nodded, and walked out of his room, waving over her shoulder.

InuYasha took a deep breath, and got up, standing in the middle of the area he had cleared. He closed his eyes, and visualized Kagome's smiling face. He ran through the moves, and felt himself move a bit.

_KLUNK!!_

"Uh-oh...SANGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


	7. Three lives

The Struggle.

InuYasha was supposed to meet Kagome at the movie theatre, but she wasn't showing. He silently wondered, as he stood outside, if this was payback for the time he got detention. He sighed, and checked his watch. It was fifteen minutes past the time she was supposed to be here, and he was getting nervous. He pulled out his cell, and dialed her number. It connected, and rang. And rang. And rang. InuYasha let it ring for a full minute, before snapping it shut angrily. If she was going to stand him up, the least she could do is tell him after she did it. He started walking away, feeling slightly pissed off. He knew that his relationship with Kagome was good, but perhaps she still felt obligated to get him back. He passed by an alley way, and almost missed it. His ears twitched, and he backed up, wondering what he had heard. He sniffed the air, and all he could smell was garbage, dirt, and the smell of people living in garbage. He was about to walk away, when something reached his nose. The scent of Kagome, and of fear.

He ran down the alleyway as fast as he could, and it immediately got dark, for there were no street lights around here. He quickly whipped out his phone, and called her number. A few seconds later, he heard a tiny ringing sound from further up ahead, and he pocketed his phone, tearing down the alleyway as fast as he could. He eventually saw Kagome, being held by three dirty men. InuYasha felt his fear dissipate, for she was safe, and trying to call his name. The three men hadn't harmed her yet, but one of them had taken her purse, and he was digging through it, no doubt looking for money. InuYasha glared at the three men, and dared them to hurt her.

"I dare you to lay a finger on her." InuYasha said, his voice deadly quiet. "I DARE you. Go ahead, and if you even so much as scratch her, I'll kill all three of you." He flexed his claws for emphasis, and started walking toward them. He quickly analysed the situation. Kagome was being held by one of them, his hand around her mouth, keeping her quiet, while the second one was standing in front of her, a knife in his hand. The third one was behind them, holding Kagome's bag. He too produced a knife. InuYasha felt the anger rising up inside him, and he knew that this was what it was all about. This was why he had trained with Sango. To protect Kagome from stuff like this. A month ago, he would have been so scared, and probably tried to call the cops, then fight them, just because there was nothing else to do. But now, he felt no fear, just total anger, and immense power. He grinned at them, and raised his hand.

"Don't blink, you might miss it." He said. He dropped his hand, and dissappeared. It looked like he had disappeared, but he had actually just dashed really fast toward the one holding Kagome's purse. He stopped behind the guy, and reached up. He grabbed the guys neck, and twisted his head sideways, snapping his neck easily. The guy dropped, and InuYasha picked up the guys knife. He tossed it from hand to hand, and stepped over the guys body.

"Who's next!?!" He roared, his voice slightly different in Kagome's ears. He kept his head bowed, concentrating on the power that he felt running through his body. He dashed over, and thrust the knife into the guys face, the one holding Kagome. The guy screamed and grabbed his face, dropping Kagome. InuYasha grabbed her, and pulled her into his chest, hugging her tight. InuYasha kicked the guy in the chest, and he toppled over backwards, blood spraying from the knife wound. InuYasha picked up the knife that the third guy had dropped in terror, and he told Kagome to run away. She hesitated, and InuYasha looked at her, his deep red eyes glowing in the night, his deep blue pupils dilating as he clenched the knives in his hands.

"Get out of here, run now!" He yelled, pushing her. Scared and not knowing what was taking over InuYasha, she ran as fast as she could toward the exit of the alleyway. She stopped as she got to the end, and into the light of the street lamps. Cars drove by, and she immediately felt a bt safer. She ducked into the doors of a nearby shop, and stared out them, wondering what was up with InuYasha. Suddenly, a very loud scream reached her ears, and she covered them, not knowing what was going on.

InuYasha glared at the last guy, pure hate filling his every thought. He jumped up, and dashed to the side, throwing his first knife. It struck the guy in the knee, making him drop.

"That'll keep you from running!" InuYasha growled, landing on the ground, in front of the guy.

"P-please, spare me, I didn't want to do it, honest!" InuYasha picked the guy up by his throat, squeezing him harshly.

'You put Kagome in danger, you are going to die." He said. He gripped the last knife in his hand, and tilted the guys throat back. The guy, knowing what was going to happen, started screaming.

InuYasha silenced him with a quick slash across the throat, and was immediately soaked from head to toe in blood. He let the body gush blood for a few seconds, before dropping the lifeless body. He dropped the blade, and gathered all the power in his legs. He jumped up, and landed on the roof of the building, running across the roof.

Kagome, after a few minutes of waiting, decided her heartbeat was normal enough for her to continue. She opened the door, and took a step out, only to have something drop out of the sky to land in front of her, growling and snarling. Kagome screamed and backed up, not knowing who or what it was. The figure stood up, and Kagome realized that it was InuYasha, except that he was covered in blood. Covered. His shirt, his pants, his socks, his shoes, it was even all in his hair. She took a step back, and wondered what he had become. InuYasha raised his head, and Kagome looked into his friendly golden eyes. He held out his hand.

"Come on, Kagome. Let's go." He said. "I promise that no harm will ever come to you while I'm around."

Kagome took his hand, and felt him pull her into a hug. She hugged him tightly, not ever wanting him to turn into a monster like that again. She wondered if she had imagined it, for his voice was back to normal too. She shook her head. She had definitely seen something. She felt his hands on her back, and calmed down. She was sure that InuYasha wouldn't let any harm come to her. She pulled away, and told him that she wanted to go home. He laughed, and said that he probably should to, for he needed to wash off all the blood. He seemed totally unfazed by it, and it troubled Kagome. She didn't want an emotionless killer that didn't even blink after he had killed three people. She wondered what was to become of her InuYasha, and sighed. InuYasha started walking home, and they were both silent, neither wanting to say anything, both busy with their thoughts and feelings.

InuYasha scrubbed hard at the blood all over his skin, cursing as some of the dried blood refused to come off. His mother had been terrified when he had come through the door, and had feared he had been shot or hit by a car. He waved her off, and walked up the stairs, feeling the shock of taking three lives. He was also depressed that his date with Kagome had been cancelled.

Now he struggled with the bloodstains. He poured more bodywash on his facecloth, and scrubbed angrily at his neck, feeling the dried blood rip off his skin. He looked down and saw the water running red down the drain, and it disgusted him. He scrubbed at his face, eager to get the smell of blood off his body and out of his nose. He scrubbed until the facecloth came away clean, and then started washing his hair. He looked at his feet, red, not from the blood, but from the angry scrubbing he had subjected them to, as the water rushed over his head and started foaming the soap in his hair. He scrubbed at his scalp, using his claws to get every inch of his head and hair. He finally started rinsing, and realized that his hearing was slightly diminished. He knew what had happened. The damned blood had even sprayed into his ears. He wondered how to go about cleaning them, then said screw it. He grabbed his face cloth, and reached inside his ears, scrubbing the surface. He winced as soap ran down the side of his face and into his eye. He finished with both ears, and he inhaled deeply. The smell of blood was finally gone, and it felt good. He closed his eyes and turned his face up to the shower spray, letting it rain down on him. It felt very good on his tired body, and he imagined that he was a different person, not someone who had just killed three people. Then he remembered Kagome, and thought, it was all worth it.

InuYasha dropped into bed, and stared at the picture of Kagome across from him, on his night stand. He closed his eyes, and didn't bother to crawl under the covers. His back was still slightly damp from his shower, and he reached up to the top of his bed. He grabbed his pillow and pulled it underneath his head. He fell asleep quickly, wanting rest for his tired body. Some time later, his mother came in to check on him, and, still not knowing the story as to why InuYasha came in covered in blood, she quickly checked him over. After hearing her sons light breathing, she got an extra blanket and covered him up. She kissed him on the forehead, and left the room, turning out the light. She went downstairs to finish the dishes, noting that InuYasha didn't even stop to eat anything.

A few hours later, she was about to turn off the lights and go to bed, when a knock at the door startled her. She went to the door and opened it, with the security chain still on.

"Hello?" She asked uncertainly.

"Hi, InuYasha's mom!" Sango said cheerily. "We heard about InuYasha, we just came to check on him." She said. InuYasha's mother opened the door, and ushered Sango and her friend in. "Come in," She said, "Is it cold out this late at night?"

Sango shook her head. "Nope, not too bad actually." She said. Ayame nodded in agreement.

"Well, InuYasha's sleeping right now, he went to bed early without eating anything." She said. "Do you two know what happened?"

Sango nodded. "Yeah." She said. "It turns out, Kagome was walking to the movies to meet InuYasha there, and she was grabbed from a side alley. InuYasha, getting bored with waiting, decided to go home. He tried calling her, to see what had happened, and got no answer." She said. Izayoi nodded.

"Well, he was walking by the same alley she got grabbed in, and InuYasha said he smelled her scent, so he decided to go check it out. When he got down the alley way, he found Kagome being held by three guys. After that, he totally went demon on their asses, excuse my language." Izayoi nodded again.

"Anyway, he ended up getting so angry, that he transformed like half-demons sometimes do, and he ended up killing all of them. He was covered in their blood. So he walked Kagome home, then came here, I suppose, and then Kagome called us and told us what had happened, and we came over here to check him out."

Izayoi nodded again.

"Thanks for easing my mind, I was so worried about him." She said, hugging Sango. Ayame bared her fangs, and Sango looked at her.

"No, Ayame, Izayoi is a friend." She said. Ayame calmed down, and slid her arm around Sango's waist. Izayoi wondered about the red-haired wolf demon, but told them that they could go up and see him if they wanted, but they would have to be careful not to wake him. They thanked her, and walked up the stairs, entering InuYasha's room quietly. Sango leaned against the door frame, but Ayame advanced right up to the edge of the bed, to get a good look at her half demon friend. She mewled, and reached out, touching his cheek softly. Sango, never noticing this behaviour in Ayame before, stood up, and watched closely. Ayame was able to recognise her friend, and right now her friend wasn't giving off the vibe of happy sleep, or a restful sleep. Her friend was giving off dark, tainted vibes, vibes of anger, sadness, and pain. Ayame climbed into the bed, and hugged InuYasha, even though he was asleep and covered with a blanket. She closed her eyes and hugged InuYasha tightly. Sango smiled wryly at this. Ayame got so worried when InuYasha's mother hugged her, but here was Ayame throwing herself on top of InuYasha. It made her think sometimes. But she knew that Ayame was just trying to help out a friend. InuYasha groaned, and rolled over, opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was Ayame hovering over him, staring down at him with an expression of worry on her face. InuYasha looked around, knowing that Ayame didn't go anywhere without Sango. And sure enough, there she was, leaning against the wall. He stared at her, not smiling, and got up, Ayame sliding off to his side.

He glanced at the clock, and rubbed his eyes. Almost ten thirty at night, and there was school tomorrow.

"What're you guys doing here?" He asked quietly. Sango walked over and sat on the bed. "Just checking on you, InuYasha." She said. "We were worried when we heard what had happened from Kagome."

InuYasha nodded. "Oh."

Ayame slid her hand up his back, and over his shoulder. She slid a bit closer to him, and mewled softly in his ear. He looked to his left, and saw Ayame. He was surprised at the expression on her face, and the emotion in her eyes. It seemed that everything he was feeling she was expressing, and her eyes showed such pain and sadness, InuYasha was having a hard time looking at her. He looked down at his feet, still covered by the blankets, and thought that he was lucky to have friends that would come over this late just to see him.

"I-Inu...Yasha..."

InuYasha and Sango looked at each other, then at Ayame, who had spoken the word. Her voice was soft, but a bit rough because she barely ever talked. She blushed as they both looked at her, and she buried her face in the nearest available object. InuYasha's chest. She stayed like that for a few seconds, before looking up at them. InuYasha looked down at her, and she stared up at him. He smiled, glad that she had said his name, and she grinned, her fangs showing. She reached up, and placed her hands on both sides of InuYasha's face. She leaned up, and kissed him on the lips, making InuYasha's eyes go wide. He didn't respond, knowing that it was Sango's mate he was kissing, or rather, being kissed by. He waited until she pulled away. Ayame finally did, and pushed InuYasha's silver hair out of his embarrassed face.

"Ayame wants InuYasha to be...happy, not sad...You are...Ayame's friend, and Ayame wants you...to smile." She said, choosing her words carefully.

"Please smile for me, InuYasha." Ayame pleaded, looking up at him, her face pleading with him not to be sad. InuYasha smiled again, and carefully used his fingers to push her long bangs behind her ears.

"I'll smile for you, Ayame, my friend." He said. Ayame grinned, and leapt toward him, putting her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He casually hugged her back, and glanced at Sango out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling, not at all bothered by the kiss they had shared. Ayame, reluctantly, got off the bed, and went over to stand beside Sango. InuYasha got out of bed, and they noticed that he was wearing just an old pair of baggy black shorts as bed clothes. They were a few sizes too big, and hung down past his knees, hanging off his hips. He didn't have any socks on, or a shirt. He walked up to them, and thanked them for coming to see him. They nodded, and Sango couldn't resist it. She was about to leave, and was really glad her friend was okay. She reached out, awkwardly, arms outstretched. InuYasha wondered, just for a half second, then realized what she wanted. He grinned, and took a step toward her, putting his arms around her waist. He hugged her a bit tightly, letting her know that he was thankful for her visit. Sango hugged him back, pressing her body against his. She laid her head on his shoulder, and stayed there for a minute, enjoying his hug.

"I appreciate you coming over, Sango." He said.

"Don't worry about it, InuYasha." She said. "And if you ever want to talk, I'll listen." She said. InuYasha let her go.

"Alright, you two better go, it's late, and theres school tomorrow." He said. Sango nodded.

"You gonna be there tomorrow?" She asked. InuYasha nodded. "For sure."

"Okay, see you." She said. Ayame followed her out, but she paused at the last second. Ayame, halfway out the door, turned, and waved to InuYasha. InuYasha grinned, and waved back.

She left, and InuYasha crawled back under the covers, turning his light off. He quickly fell asleep, assured by the fact that he had friends that cared about him, and knowing that Kagome was safe, and she hadn't gotten hurt tonight.

Deep down, he was thankful to Sango for showing him the moves that had helped him save Kagome, and he knew that he owed a lot to her. He wondered when he could pay her back, eager to let her know he was thankful.

Kagome stared at the ceiling and thought about InuYasha. She shuddered when she remembered how he had looked when he had pushed her, telling her to run. He had the fiercest eyes she had ever seen, and they were full of hate, anger, and something else. She couldn't quite place it, but if she had to define it, it was like he was feeling the overwhelming urge to protect her, and keep her safe. But, that could just be her mind playing tricks on her.

_"I promise that no harm will ever come to you while I'm around..."_ She remembered her promise, and wondered if he was just saying it, or really meant it. Could he really save her from anything that could hurt her?

She didn't care. She just wanted her InuYasha back, the one that fed bacon to the mute wolf demon Ayame, and the one who made love to her in the shower, not some mindless killing machine. She sighed and rolled over, clutching her pillow tight. She would see him tomorrow, and tomorrow would tell her if she would continue to be with him or not.


End file.
